Standing alongside the mayors of Galveston and Houston on Friday, the nation’s top housing official authorized local leaders to begin the laborious process of using federal money to rebuild what two hurricanes destroyed.

At a news conference in Houston, Donovan pledged to redouble HUD’s efforts to speed the Gulf Coast’s recovery from Ike, which came ashore on Galveston Island Sept. 13, and Dolly, which struck South Texas last July.

“We can now begin a process of change, of a new partnership between the federal government and state and local governments,” he said.

HUD approval of the state’s plan for use of the federal funds clears the way for local officials to begin the procedures required to spend the federal funds, a process that could take months.

Lots of requirements

Houston already has received a number of applications from owners of apartment developments badly damaged by Ike, said Donald Sampley, an assistant housing and community development director.

But before the City Council can consider contracts for those rehabilitation projects, Sampley said, the city must conduct environmental and historical reviews, each of which includes requirements for 15- or 30-day public notices. Once those requirements are met, the city can apply for funds from the state, which in turn seeks reimbursement from HUD.

These procedures are among the factors that led to long delays in the use of federal funds to rebuild East Texas houses destroyed by Hurricane Rita in 2005. They raise questions about whether the CDBG program is the best vehicle for disaster recovery, said Madison Sloan, a staff attorney with Texas Appleseed, an Austin-based nonprofit that works with disaster victims.

Reassuring residents

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, who appeared with Donovan on Friday, said she is convinced he’s committed to finding ways to streamline these procedures and get help to disaster victims more quickly.

In addition, Jackson Lee said, Donovan’s appearance in Houston so soon after his Senate confirmation should send a reassuring message to local residents.

“I believe we now have an opening, a secretary with a fresh face who is unafraid to plow into these issues,” Jackson Lee said.

The state plan that Donovan approved Friday delegates most decisions about how to use the federal funds to local councils of government, which in turn apportion the money to local governments within their areas.

These local plans vary widely. Houston, for example, intends to use 80 percent of its $109 million for housing, while Harris County intends to spend only 40 percent of its $140.7 million for housing.

Galveston and Galveston County, where damage from Ike was most devastating, received 53 percent of the $814 million administered by the Houston-Galveston Area Council. Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas was at Friday’s announcement but didn’t make a statement.

Texas Appleseed and two other organizations representing low-income housing residents had filed an administrative complaint with HUD, saying the state’s plan failed to meet federal requirements that the state specify how it would use the money and who would benefit.

The CDBG funds are intended to cover needs unmet by insurance policies or Federal Emergency Management Agency programs. They may be used to rebuild housing, restore public infrastructure and support public service programs such as job training, child care and crime prevention.